Escape to the Country celebrity guest Dr Ranj Singh is a familiar face on our TV screens, but what do we know about the former This Morning star’s life away from the cameras?
Dr Ranj Singh went in search of a new property in Escape to the Country
Escape to the Country is devoted to helping potential buyers discover their perfect countryside retreats and TV star Dr. Ranj Singh features in a celebrity edition.
The episode is being repeated on Sunday, June 28 at 7:30 pm on BBC One and chronicles expert Denise Nurse as she assists Dr Ranj, equipped with a £550,000 budget, in leaving behind urban life for a more tranquil existence in and around the Peak District.
To aid his house-hunting journey, former This Morning presenter Ranj is accompanied by his mate and artist Tom Wolski as they tour the picturesque region and also debate which profession is more challenging – doctor or vet.
One residence left Dr. Ranj utterly stunned; he remarked, “Oh, look at that! Oh, my word. Wow! It is a castle! Wow! I was impressed with the other places, but this is something else.”
Dr Ranj went househunting on Escape to the Country(Image: BBC)
Dr. Ranj was even more astonished when estimating the cost of the mystery dwelling. He predicted it would be £700,000, yet the property was actually listed for £550,000, reports Kent Live.
The former Strictly Come Dancing participant had previously offered insights into the two-bedroom flat he owned in London, “above a roundabout”.
Revealing the sophisticated black-and-white styling and personal flourishes that celebrate his television achievements, including BAFTA Award certificates and a large framed photograph from his involvement in Loose Women’s Body Stories campaign.
Growing up in Kent
Dr Ranj Singh, 46, was born in Chatham and raised in a traditional Sikh family in Medway before relocating to London and subsequently retreating to the countryside.
Displaying his abilities from an early age, the highly intelligent doctor, who describes himself as a “geek”, attended Gordon Junior School in Strood and achieved his first GCSE at just eight years old.
Dr. Ranj left Kent to pursue his studies at a London university, where he began his medical training, working at hospitals across the capital before becoming a member of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health in 2007.
He is affiliated with several of London’s most prestigious hospitals, amongst them St Thomas’ Hospital, Evelina Children’s Hospital, and Medway Maritime Hospital.
Dr Ranj lived in Kent before moving to London (Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)
During his appearance on Strictly 2018, partnered with Janette Manrara and eliminated in week seven, he commented: “I like to study and study things until I get it right and I’m hoping that attention to detail in learning will help me pick stuff up, but what I’ve learned is that learning movement is totally different to learning information, so I don’t know what it’s going to be like.”
Dr. Ranj is additionally a published author, with his debut non-fiction children’s book, How to Grow up and Feel Amazing, immediately entering the Sunday Times bestseller chart.
Dr Ranj’s ‘coming out’ to ex-wife.
Ranj wed Sulvinder Samra in 2006 during his twenties, before later coming out as gay after six years of marriage, which culminated in their divorce in 2011.
He disclosed: “I was married and obviously that relationship broke down and then it was dealing with everybody else, friends and family. It happened when I’d got to where I was thought I was supposed to be,” reports The Mirror.
“I had the career I’d always wanted, I always wanted a home of my own. I’d ticked all my boxes. So the big question was, why am I still not 100 per cent happy? Why does it still feel like something’s not right? And that’s when therapy brought all of that stuff out,” he told The Big Issue.
Dr Ranj Singh is now in a relationship with James Colebrook(Image: Simon Ackerman, Getty Images)
The broadcaster, who featured on Morning Live, realised through therapy that he wasn’t “the person I thought I should be or thought I was going to be”.
“This perfect life that you’ve imagined and hoped for and dreamt of and worked towards isn’t your perfect like,” he added.
Dr. Ranj campaigns for LGBTQ rights, particularly within minority communities, and as a recipient of the Attitude TV award in 2019, he stated that people from “ethnic minorities, people of color, or LGBT people are still at a slight disadvantage”.
The medic has also found romance with new partner James Colebrook, an actor, model, personal trainer, and co-host of the Bunny and the Beast podcast alongside drag performer Bunny Galore.
He completed his studies at Laine Theatre Arts performing arts college in 2017 and has since appeared in stage shows, including Game Night at Wonderville in the West End.
Dr Ranj’s episode of Escape to the Country originally aired in December 2023 but will be broadcast again on Sunday, June 28 at 7:30pm on BBC One.